41 Yr Old Mom of Twins, 9 Yr Wait for TT, Lipo of Hips and Flanks - Reston, VA

after giving birth to twins in 2006, I've struggled to keep my belly flat. No matter how many hours at the gym, the loose skin from gaining over 60 lbs pregnant was not going away with exercise. I searched several doctors over the last 3 years and decide to take the plunge. I had my classic tummy tuck with muscle repair from severe Diastases Recti, and opted for Lipo of the hips and flanks on Dec 18.

I arrived at my surgeons office and my doctor drew all over me. My blood pressure was really high and I was very nervous but I knew I had wanted this and been waiting for this. I walked into the operating room and hopped up on the table and the anesthesiologist started chatting with me and next thing I knew I woke up and it was all over.
The 20 minute ride home was a blur and coming in my house was quite a challenge. The first night was pretty difficult but I was very thankful for my husband and the meds, and the rented recliner.

Day 1 : my first night was difficult. I somehow managed to get to the dr in the morning with the help of my husband and a walker.,Day 1 post op my dr said all looked great and he was pleased with my results. I still can't believe I actually did it.

I can finally see the light. Starting on nine DPO, I feel like I turned a corner. My head isn't filled with crazy meds any longer and I've really only had to take ibuprofen and Tylenol once or twice a day just to manage some soreness and aches and pains from not moving around as much. I'm still needing to take a nap daily which seems to help. I started sleeping in my own bed again three nights ago which has been nice. I literally have about 10 pillows surrounding me to replicate the recliner but I'm having good sleep and feeling rested when I wake up.
Yesterday my friend took me out to get a manicure which was nice. I was able to get in and out of the car by myself and sit in the chair at the salon comfortably. It did white me out as I took a two-hour nap when I got home. It's crazy how such little things exhaust you.
Today I'm going to attempt to take my third shower but my first one all by myself. I'm still not yet able to drive and still need some assistance putting on my pants and socks but I'm feeling a little bit more human just a slower version.
I'm supposed to go back to work next week but I'm considering trying to get a sub to cover me since I'm a teacher. I teach early childhood special ed and I am constantly moving, on the floor, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that yet. I think the third week will truly help in my recovery and I definitely don't want any setbacks.
I'm starting to see the light and know that while this is been a very difficult and long recovery, it will all be worth it in the end. 2016 is going to be a great year for me. It's my 13th wedding anniversary this year, ( our lucky number) and I plan to get to my ideal goal weight soon. I followed many different low-carb, low calorie plans and know that weight watchers is the best plan for me. I'm looking forward to upping back on the wagon. Here's to 2016!

17 days postop. Starting to see the light a little bit more. My tummy is definitely flat in the morning but by afternoon/evening it's very hard and swollen.

Here's my four week postop update. I started back to work this week. As a preschool special-education teacher I am on my feet all day. Thankfully my assistant teacher has been phenomenal and helped with all the things that out I'm not yet able to do. I carpooled to work because I still don't feel comfortable driving. Turning left and right with my torso has been a little tricky. Since I have the option to carpool I thought I'd go ahead and take it. Each day was better and better because I was able to focus more on teaching then on recovering. But as the day went on I definitely was swelling more than normal I think because I was more active. By the end of each evening I was so swollen and pooped that I was crashing by 930 or 10 o'clock. So far I am happy with my results but I feel like I still have a ways to go. I feel like my one hip still looks larger than the other, sort of disproportionate to each other. But it's still 100 times better than it was. I'm still very sore at all my lipo areas. I'm still sleeping on my back with two pillows under my knees and a heating pad on low on my back. I still cannot sleep on my side yet. I'm still wearing my binder to work every day but I'm going to try the compression garment/spanks this weekend.

Today I went to motherhood maternity in search of a few pairs of pants to wear during this next phase of my recovery. No..not pregnant but a friend suggested I get maternity pants since they have the padded belly. I'm four weeks postop and I still cannot wear my normal pants yet other than leggings and pajamas. I can't wear those to work everyday so decided to see what they had.
They were very kind and showed me postpartum pants. They are perfect for what we ladies need. They are black leggings and they have a tight compression at the belly. I tried them on at the store while I was wearing my Spanx and it was super tight so I'm going to try them with only the pants. Here are pics below. They are very comfy and supportive. I hope they can work for some of you too.